as a reminder, lester holt is next. breaking news tonight. a shocking arrest. a u.s. coast guard lieutenant accused of plotting a terror attack found with a massive arsenal of weapons and a long list of targets, including famous politicians, presidential candidates, and well-known tv news journalists. the feds say the self-proclaimed white nationalist was intending to mass murder innocent people on a scale rarely seen in america. also breaking, police say actor jussie smollett is officially a suspect in a criminal investigation. detectives now showing evidence to a grand jury. a massive storm hitting right now with 130 million nightmare unfolding from north to south. we have the latest forecast. bracing for impact. signs point to mueller finishing potentially within days. but if you're expecting a lengthy report like ken starr,

pete williams has a reality check. police say an infamous cold case mystery is solved. the murder of an 11-year-old girl 45 years ago. how authorities say her killer was finally found. a dramatic rescue caught on camera. a skier falling 200 feet. one ski sticking out under a foot of snow. tonight the frantic race to pull him out alive. this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome to our viewers in the west. breaking as we come on the air tonight, a u.s. coast guard officer and self-proclaimed white nationalist is charged tonight with plotting a massive domestic terror attack. compiling a lengthy list of targets including prominent politicians and journalists from nancy pelosi and cory booker to chris hayes. prosecutors releasing this photo of a weapons cache they say wa discovered in the suspect's maryland home. according to investigators, the man dreamed of killing almost every last person on earth, and

had hoped to use violence to create a white homeland. let's go to nbc's gabe gutierrez with the chilling details. >> reporter: christopher paul hasson had worked at u.s. coast guard headquarters in washington since 2016. but a newly released court documents prosecutors say the lieutenant was a self-identified white nationalist who called for focused violence and dreamed of ways to kill almost every last person on earth. he's charged with illegal weapons and drug charges but prosecutors say that's the proverbial tip of the iceberg, the defendant is a domestic terrorist. the court documents don't reveal any actual attack plans but the government says he'd been stockpiling weapons at his maryland home since at least 2017. 15 firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. prosecutors say she'd drawn up a spread sheet of targets that included politicians like house speaker nancy pelosi, senate minority leader chuck schumer, and media figures like msnbc's joe scarborough and cnn's chris

cuomo. and his internet searches included most liberal senators, where do senators live in d.c. and are supreme court justices protected? court documents allege he was assessed with white nationalist and neo-nazi views writing, guide my hate to make a lasting impression on this world, and he was stockpiling steroids in order to increase his ability to conduct attacks. investigators worried about the combination, the hate, the guns, and his longstanding drug abuse. >> i think we're pretty lucky. it looked like a crescendo of events if you look at the behavior from the court filings, he kind of grew stockpiling, more focused on the targets, trying to gather targets. >> reporter: prosecutors are arguing he should stay in jail while he awaits trial. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. late-breaking developments from chicago tonight in the jussie smollett case as the actor officially goes from victim to suspect in the alleged assault against him. let's get the latest from national correspondent miguel almaguer. >> reporter: tonight jussie smollett is officially a

suspect. the state's attorney says the actor filed a false report and be is charged with a felony. the bombshell comes after he claimed to be a victim of a hate crime. law enforcement officials tell nbc news chicago police have issued roughly a dozen search warrants, scouring financial and phone records, looking to link smollett to the men he claimed attacked him. >> they called me a [ bleep ]. they called me [ bleep ]. there's no which way you cut it. >> reporter: police say ola and abel osundario told officers smollett hired them to stage the assault. this surveillance video shows both men buying a red hat and ski masks they say smollett told them to get. today the brothers testified before a grand jury for 2 1/2 hours. the fbi is also looking into smollett's claims he received this death threat by mail. if he lied, the actor could face federal charges. local media report smollett cooked up the schemes for attention. tonight detectivesave

presented evidence before a grand jury. >> there's lying to the police, filing a false police report, fraud by mail, terroristic threats by mail. all these things are up in the air. >> reporter: for weeks a dozen officers have been working carefully around the clock to piece together their case. investigators now rewriting the actor's story saying smollett's lies are now exposed. >> reporter: tonight chicago pd say they're working with smollett's attorneys. >> miguel almaguer in chicago, there's more breaking news. a major winter storm making for a dangerous commute home tonight for a lot of folks. 130 million people impacted in every state east of the nbc's garrett haake has more on this travel nightmare. >> reporter: heavy snow, driving sleet, torrential rain. even thundersnow.

>> oh, yes! >> reporter: all wreaking havoc on commutes across the country. from the great plains to pennsylvania, icy roads proving too much for even experienced drivers. in nebraska, a pile-up of nine semi trucks closed interstate 80 for hours. in iowa, a train collided with a snowplow with one man sent to the hospital. and in pennsylvania, a city bus slammed into a building, and a salt truck slid off the road into someone's front yard. >> we heard a big boom. and paul goes, oh, god, there's a truck coming! he's tipped over in our yard! it was very scary. >> reporter: in minnesota the storm broke a record, delivering the snowiest february ever in the twin cities. in the southeast, warmer temperatures meantn of it. several inches falling in hours, washing out roads. even among those waranstm broug. airlines racking up thousands of cancelations and delays thanks to icy runways and planes. compounding the misery,

southwest airlines had already canceled hundreds of flights this week amid ongoing maintenance problems. across the country, americans going nowhere fast. waiting for the storm to pass and the dig-out to begin. the airlines canceled more than 200 flights from d.c.'s reagan national airport today, although things are picking up again here now as that storm moves north soaking the rest of the east coast. lester? >> all right, garrett, let's talk about that movement. it is still on the move. not over yet. dylan dreyer has the latest forecast for us. dylan, what can we expect? >> good evening, lester. it's still snowing here in new york, same goes for the midwest. in washington, d.c. and the mid-atlantic we've changed over to rain now. the snow will begin in boston shortly, and then it will last through the night before changing over to a wintry mix and eventually rain by tomorrow morning. the only area it will stay snow is up across central and northern new england. that will even wind down as we go into thursday morning. so any additional snowfall is minimal at this point except across new england, about 4 to 6 inches possible. and areas hit hard by the rain

with this storm already bracing for the next storm by the end of the week. we could see an additional 3 to 4 inches of rain, and that could lead to more flooding. lester? >> all right, dylan, thank you. president trump says tonight it's up to the new attorney general to decide how much of robert mueller's report is made public. those comments come as all sides point to mueller finishing his work very soon, but as our pete williams reports, whatever report we see might not be nearly as long as you think. >> reporter: rare words of praise tonight from president trump for the new man in charge of the justice department, saying the decision of what to make public from robert mueller's report will be up to attorney general william barr. >> he's a tremendous man, a tremendous person who really respects this country and respects the justice department. so that will be totally up to him. >> reporter: several government officials say mueller's work is nearly done and he'll likely present his report to barr in the next week or so. federal rules say that report is confidential. they say nothing about sending it to congress or making it public.

at his confirmation hearing, barr said he's committed to releasing as much as possible, but he suggested it could be his summary, not mueller's document. >> the special counsel's report is confidential. the report that goes public would be a report by the attorney general. >> reporter: but members of congress demanded more, including some republicans. >> the only way i know for the taxpayers to hold anybody that spends the taxpayers' money responsibly is through transparency. because that brings accountability. >> reporter: even so, it's clear it won't be something like the starr report, publicly released in 1998 on the clinton scandal. but many legal experts say just because mueller is about done, the investigating doesn't stop. >> pieces of this investigation will continue in federal prosecutors' offices around the t starr material in manhattan. sent to congress weighed 11 pounds and ran to three volumes. public expectation for the mueller report is high, but he's working under entirely different

rules and his report will be nothing like this. lester? >> all right, pete williams putting it in perspective for us, thanks. meantime tonight, the president's former lawyer is getting extra time to report to prison. a judge approved michael cohen's request for more time to recover from shoulder surgery and get prepared to testify before congress. cohen heads to prison on may 6th. there's a new escalation this evening in the war of words between the u.s. and russia over missiles as vladimir putin issued a stunning new threat. let's get more from chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: today vladimir putin threatening to point new hypersonic missiles at the u.s. a weapon that can evade u.s. missile defense and fly at nine times the speed of sound, if the united states deploys new missiles in europe. tonight russian tv showing off another new weapon, a submarine that can launch a nuclear-powered underwater drone. the kremlin's toughest saber-rattling since the u.s. withdrew from an arms control treaty, blaming russian

cheating. >> one side has not adhered to it. we have, but one side hasn't. unless they're going to adhere, we shouldn't be the only one. >> reporter: critics say trump has given putin a huge propaganda advantage. >> i think putin is trying to stop the united states from deploying new missiles now that we have pulled out of the inf treaty. he's trying to make it costly for us, and especially he's trying to exacerbate a rift between the united states and our european allies. >> reporter: the pentagon is also developing new hypersonic missiles. but the u.s. version will not be ready for another few years, and critics are warning this could be the start of a new expensive and dangerous arms race. lester? >> all right, andrea, thank you. new developments in a story we've been following. president trump said today he directed secretary of state mike pompeo not to allow a woman who fled alabama to become an isis bride back into the u.s. hoda muthana pleaded to return four years after going to syria. today pompeo said muthana is not

a u.s. citizen. her family, though, says she was born in new jersey. at the vatican survivors of members demanded to meet pope francis on the eve of his unprecedented summit to address the scandal 's nbc's anne thompson is at the vatican for us tonight. >> it's been 30 years of this. >> reporter: milwaukee's peter eisley flew all the way to rome to join other abuse survivors in delivering an ultimatum. >> time is up, you know? it's like, it's time to do something. >> reporter: the catholic church facing a cascade of damning revelations of sexual abuse by priests. just this week the vatican acknowledging secret guidelines for priests who father children, urging them to leave the priest hood. >> zero tolerance! >> reporter: survivors not allowed inside tomorrow's summit on sex abuse, making their case outside. >> we have secret archive files in this institution, release them. >> reporter: the latest statics

show more than 6,800 priests have been credibly accused of sexual abuse in the u.s. since the 1950s. the number of victims, 19,000. >> we need to act. >> reporter: cardinal daniel dinardo is president of the u.s. bishops, under fire himself for how he's handled abusive priests. >> why the world should anyone believe that those who are suspected of being part of the problem can solve this problem? >> i think one reason is, first of all, the pope has called us together and has put the line out about what we are to do. >> reporter: at stake here, the church's very credibility, and the faith of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. lester? >> anne thompson at the vatican, thank you. a school bus driver in new jersey is under arrest after crashing into a tree with 12 special needs students on board her bus. police using narcan to revive her. police say 57-year-old lisa bird was unresponsive when paramedics hildved. paraphernalia, and driving while impaired. the students are all okay. now to tax return surprises

we've been telling you about, tax day now just under two months away. experts are advising everyone to do their taxes as early as possible so you have time to prepare if you unexpectedly owe money or your refund is less than expected. here's tom costello with "the price you pay." >> reporter: in portland, oregon, andy craft and amy elias are still recovering from a refund whiplash. >> i just assumed he made a mistake. >> i assumed i did as well. >> reporter: a cpa confirmed their turbo tax results were no mistake. after averaging refunds of several hundred dollars in years past this year they owe $10,000. what happened? amy got promoted last year, andy got a new job, they paid a lower tax rate, but they never adjusted their paycheck withholdings. >> makes me sick to my stomach when i consider all the other things that money could have gone towards. >> 90% of middle-class americans had less tax money withheld from their paychecks in 2018, saving an average of $48 every two weeks.

the average refund is $186 lower. for families that don't want to owe money next year or want a bigger refund and treat withholdings as a short-term piggy bank, with holding more or less tax money from your paycheck is easy. ask your employer for a new w-4, then add or subtract your total allowances on line 5. or an additional dollar amount you want withheld here on line 6. that's it. >> if you're relying on that refund, then you need to look at your situation early in the year. you can't wait till the last paycheck in december and try and figure it out. >> reporter: the irs' withholding calculator can help make 2020 less painful than 2019. tom costello, nbc news, washington. some other news hitting home tonight involving google's nest secure home security system. turns out it has a hidden microphone which can be used to access other google devices, but google never told anyone about it.

the company tells "business insider" the mike was never intended to be a secret and should have been disclosed. just ahead, the innovative way police cracked the cold case of a young girl's murder nearly 50 years later. then heart-stopping video. a skier dragged 200 feet down a mountain by an avalanche. [ soft piano music playing ] mm, uh, what do you do for fun? -not this. ♪ -oh, what am i into? mostly progressive's name your price tool. helps people find coverage options based on their budget. flo has it, i want it, it's a whole thing, and she's right there. -yeah, she's my ride. this date's lame. he has pics of you on his phone. -they're very tasteful. reach her health goals! i'm in! but first... shelfie! the great-tasting nutrition of ensure. with up to 30 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals! ensure.

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oh, what a relief it is! finally in the cold case of next tonight, an arrest finally in the cold case of an next tonight, an arrest finally in the cold case of an 11-year-old girl murdered back in 1973. as kristen dalgren reports, california police relied on dna and an innovative use of social media. >> reporter: after decades spent searching for a little girl's killer -- >> we're here to announce the arrest of james alan neal -- >> reporter: police say they've tied a 72-year-old man living in colora tth1973 murder of 11-year-old linda o'keefe, a crime that has haunted her newport beach, california, community for more than 45

years. >> she was 11 years old when she was killed, and i was 12 years old. >> reporter: last july police trying to renew interest in the cold case tweeting linda's final hours in vivid detail, in her voice. hi, i'm linda o'keefe. my killer was never found. she left school wearing the blue and white dress and bag her mother made her and was found dead the next morning, strangled in a ditch. last month police say a hit on a genealogy dna site gave them the clue they needed. neal charged with murder, kidnapping, and a lewd and lascivious act on a child. nbc news was not able to locate an attorney for neal, who if convicted faces life without the possibility of parole, the death penalty also being considered. linda's parents never lived to see this guy day but her sister talked to nbc last august. >> in my heart i had to forgive the individual, because i couldn't carry that burden. >> reporter: a family perhaps now able to find closure as police say technology helped them finally find a killer. kristen dalgren, nbc news. after a short break, a

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balanceus.org all right, we're back now all right, we're back now with those scary moments on the slopes in utah. a skier buried alive in an avalanche. all of it caught on camera. nbc's steve patterson with the dramatic rescue. >> aahh! >> reporter: a moment of pure terror. frantic screams piercing through piles of snow. the chilling video taking on the back country slopes near park city, utah, 9,000 feet up. you can see the instant the skier loses control, triggering the avalanche and tumbling 200 feet down. >> i'm here! >> reporter: one ski sticking out of a foot of snow alerted three friends who quickly dug him out. >> we got you, buddy. we're right here. >> this gentleman's alive simply because he had the right rescue gear, and he had his partners in the back country ready to come in for that rescue and get to his airway.

>> reporter: the incident now part of a concerning trend. nationwide, more than 1,000 avalanches in january alone. so far this season 15 people have died. >> i'm here! >> reporter: and now a frightening reminder of how dangerous the slopes can be. steve patterson, nbc news. >> absolutely terrifying. up next, we'll turn from snow dangers to snow delights. who needs skis when you can have one of these? . i never count the wrinkles. and i don't add up the years. but what i do count on, is staying happy and healthy. so, i add protein, vitamins and minerals to my diet with boost®. boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. all with guaranteed great taste. the upside- i'm just getting started. boost® high protein be up for life. i need help getting an appointment with my podiatrist. unitedhealthcare, how's wednesday at 2? dog agility.

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>> you're good to go. >> whoo-hoo! >> reporter: these are the 40th annual world championship shovel races at angel fire mountain. here's 9-year-old charles with the scoop on how it works. >> go as fast as you can to win the race. >> reporter: all you need is a normal shovel with a lot of wax. >> you need a little special sauce just to get you out of the gate a little faster. >> reporter: this is one of last year's champions, jackson. his strategy? >> oh, into the wall! >> reporter: don't crash. >> i'm scared if i hit the walls. >> reporter: every year there are some spectacular wipeouts. >> oh my god, that was brutal! >> reporter: a tradition dating back to the '70s and chair lift operators having a little fun after work. >> we call it the poor man's luge. >> reporter: shovelmeister john straiter has been racing since 1981. >> i'm really just trying to pass the torch to the new generation, because it's just so fun. >> reporter: at the bottom a $500 grand prize and bragging rights. until the next batch of champions shovel off at full

speed. gadi schwartz, nbc news. >> apparently they get up to speeds of about 70 miles an hour, amazing. that's nbc "nightly news" for this wednesday. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thanks for watching and good night. his personal real estate - rite now at 6:00. san jose mayor on the defensive. hi personal real estate deal that has him under the mike scope. >> the body cam video that shows what made her do it. >> a college student indicted by the feds. high-tech way he's accused of selling drugs on campus. through an app. >> the news at 6:00 starts now. good evening. thanks for being with us. >> it's the dark side of the technology. a local cyber security expert is

telling us. >> this college student from the south bay was running a drug business through an iphone app. a sign of the times here. >> now the game is no longer available in apple app store. this is what is looked like. a simple game to kill some time allege dl hiding a very dangerous and potentially -- >> 18 year-old colin howard. studied computer science for less than a month. tonight the college freshman is facing felony drug charges accused of hiding a drug business in an app. he created called banana plug. >> it's a game. >> san jose state university sish security expert explains that it was a free game. available in oople i tunes that had a button called special request. where the user could